Which of these LISTED High Schools (Chicago, Chicago Heights: home, neighborhood, college)

[hannspree]

Can anyone tell me which of the following high schools are the best? I understand they aren't that great and they're other higher performing schools, but list the order from best to worst please.-Thanks

Hillcrest
Breman
Rich East
Rich South
Rich Central
Bloom
Bloom Trail
Brookwood
Thornton Township
Thornwood
Thornridge
Thornton Fraction South
Thornton Fraction North
Eisenhower

[cubssoxfan]

Give this website a try: Illinois Interactive Report Card

[hannspree]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Give this website a try: Illinois Interactive Report Card

Thank you, but I would like to see some opinion info for now. Sometimes its better to here what people in those communities have to say about the schools rather than looking through report cards. I will take a look though.

[hannspree]

Will anyone else give their opinions?

[allen2323]

I live in olympia fields where rich central is located. They have a graduation rate of over 90 percent so I guess that means they are doing something right. One of my younger cousins who grew up in south holland graduated from thornwood about 3 years ago and is currently in college.

[chet everett]

Graduation rates mean little if the students are not prepared for college or employment...

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Graduation rates mean little if the students are not prepared for college or employment...

Try telling that line to a 25 year old who didn't finish high school and had the pleasure of attending one of the many chicago area public high schools with a dismal graduation rate that are averaging at or below 50 percent graduation rates. Without completing a high school education there is basically no going on to any college at all and probably only a minimum wage job, period. I agree, graduating high school should be a basic function in the perfect world. But in reality it is not. So, I would say that graduating is the most important part of attending high school. Try applying for college or a job without graduating high school. Most public high schools are so far off from a 90 percent graduation rate it isn't even funny.

[chet everett]

Frankly I would prefer if there were more options for folks that, for whatever reason, they do not meet academic standards for success in schools beyond HS.

There really isn't much support for that.

If HS diplomas are handed out for showing up they have no meaning.

[urza216]

It's only on rare occasion does anyone ever get good information about the south suburbs located east of I-57 on this website. The Original Poster usually gets a few good responses until a couple people chime in about how EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE BURBS make up a giant crime-ridden cesspool. The so-called "advice" is "Don't move anywhere in any of of the towns in that suburban area anywhere." or "All of those high school suck. May I direct you to another region of the Chicago area?" This, of course, kinda pisses off a few people such as myself. And THEN.. a huge debate is caused about the south suburbs that last about 14 pages until our friendly neighborhood moderator decides to lock the thread, especially after personal attacks and insensitive racial remarks start to get thrown around.

Oh, snap!

[urza216]

Originally Posted by hannspree

Will anyone else give their opinions?

Bloom Trail includes kids from Steger, Sauk Village, Ford Heights, parts of South Chicago Heights and parts of the east side of Chicago Heights. A good friend of mine who went there told me about how there were three stabbings in a year. This violence has not decreased. Lockers up and down the hallway are randomly searched and when they are, guns are always founded. Latin Counts, Latin Kings and Gangster Disciples roam the hallways together in cliques. It's a rough school.

I graduated in 2005 from Rich East which wasn't like that. Rich East is mostly made up of kids who live in Park Forest but a few of the kids live in Matteson, Olympia Fields and Richton Park too. When I went there, the school also included the Beacon Hill subdivision in Chicago Heights but not anymore. I'd recommend any of the Rich Townships schools. I turned out okay. Hell, even people who go to rougher high schools sometimes turn out okay. It does take a village to raise a child but never underestimate the power of a good home life and teaching your kids good values.

All of the Rich Township high schools are equipped with an extensive video surveillance system. Police officers are assigned to stand guard in the hallways keeping an eye on the kids and breaking up any fights that go down. Every now and then, drug sniffing dogs are brought in from the local police. It happens on a random days and kids are (abruptly) not allowed to be in the hallways for any reason for this period of time. I'm sure if they did this at Marion Catholic, they'd find weed too.

At Rich East, your kids will graduate having a read a number of classic novels like The Adventures of Hucklerry Finn, Slaughterhouse Five and The Catcher In the Rye. Our junior year we had a two period long "American Studies" class with two teachers - one for American Literature and one for American History. I learned a lot from that class and it was similar to something one would expect from college prep school and not a public high school. Rich East is a good school. Some of the great teachers I remember may be gone but I still stand by this opinion. If your kid cares about getting good grades, he or she will receive a good high school education at Rich East High School.